Word of Encouragement (12/9/2020)
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2).
We saw how true happiness includes not doing the works of sin and wickedness. But, thankfully, it is more: it includes delighting in the law of God and meditating on it day and night. The law of God here stands in opposition to “the counsel of the wicked,” “the way of sinners,” and “the seat of scoffers.” So, we should understand it in a broader sense of representing all that is good and true and beautiful according to God’s Word, including His commandments (which are good and holy).
Yet, how can anyone delight in the law of the LORD if he is under the condemnation of the law? While he may recognize the rightness of God’s law, he cannot deny his transgressions of the law and his lack of conformity to it. To such a person, the law of the LORD would be terrifying, not delightful. For the law of God comes with sanctions—blessings for obedience but curses for disobedience. He would try to stay away from it as much as possible. Can you delight in someone who is out to get you as your mortal enemy? But if you are reconciled and have peace with him, then you can begin to appreciate him as a person. Similarly, no one can delight in God’s law unless he is set free from the curse and condemnation of the law by God’s forgiveness and acceptance.
It would have been so much more difficult for the Old Testament saints to delight in God’s law; they did not know the full, once-for-all forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ. But through the sacrificial system, they had glimpses of God’s gracious forgiveness, especially those who were regenerated by the Holy Spirit. But, since they still had to live under the Mosaic Law, their conscience must have been afflicted much by the strict and exacting demand of the law. So then, the description of the blessed man in Ps. 1 might have been that of an ideal they were striving for, not a particular person.
But we as New Testament saints, we have this assurance: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)! This assurance enables us to delight in the law of God instead of being terrified by it. Without the terror of condemnation, we can delight in the law of God as our wise guide and counsel to show us what is good and true and beautiful. This is possible only because we are united to the Blessed Man, Jesus Christ.
What happens when we delight in God’s law? It will show its beneficial effects on our lives in many tangible ways. At the very least, we will do the very opposite of the three-fold negative description: we will walk in the counsel of the godly, stand in the way of the righteous, and sit in the seat of the humble. As we do so, we are protected from the destructive power and influence of sin. And, just as sin leads from bad to worse, our blessedness will go from good to better by the truth and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a blessed day, oh blessed men and women of God!